near the end
After Mario Chiodo’s “Love Surrendering”
Do you see me when you
Are unwell, like I do you,
Your arms around me
Dancing to a floating melody?
Do you see me when the agony of living
Near matches the wooing
Of my deadly, artful touch?
Is this sinful music too much
For you to bear, angel– angel of an angel?
I could make it worse, you know, to the devil
With this false chaste humility–
When did your kind ever plea
For anything not desire-rooted?
Dance with me, for we are cursed
To surrender to at least one thing
Of which we know nothing.
Would you dance with me tonight
Under these diode lights;
Dream with me, turn them
Into warmth of gleaming
Candles, of a promenade:
The violinist’s bow will draw
And we will laugh and dance
Like you never knew you could.
Would you dance with me tonight
Under these chandelier lights
Under these copious ceilings
Your dress flowing like my wings.
Can you feel it, my dear?
The tremor of all the unwell earth?
The collapse, the dignity, the downfall,
The graceful inevitability of it all.
Would you dance with me: it’s not unsimple.
See, the chandelier crystals above
And in your eyes now wink like stars–
They will shatter, and no wounds will scar.
Would you dance with me: the violinist’s strings
With majesty now sing like how heaven sings–
They will snap, the tension too much
Pressure too high from an unyielding touch.
Would you dance with me: the candle flames
Warm your rouged cheeks, lucid dream frame–
They will drip wax onto your dress,
Burn holes into all this excess.
Dance with me... I promise you that I am good,
No harm to the alive; My wings will raise you like a god,
Greater than their... your...mortal greed and pride–
I do not destroy to prove my might.
Let me heal you for a while, angel,
Angel of an angel, help you unforget
Love and death are not so different:
All-consuming...Immortal... Alive...So tell,
So tell: Would you dance with me
If I am sure this love’s survival is a guarantee?
And would you dance with me
... If in all the worlds your death is all I see?
Hillary Nguyen (she/her) is Vietnamese-American writer from the Bay Area who enjoys experimenting with creative mediums (such as poetry, photography, and fiber arts) and exploring eclectic places. She creates spoken word as well as written poetry, and her work has been featured in LL Anthology: Circles, Hot Pot Magazine, and erato magazine.
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